Festival of Trees 2018

Last night I volunteered at the Festival of Trees for the tenth year in a row!  This is such a worthwhile cause because every penny earned goes to Primary Children's Hospital.  Christmas trees are decorated by groups and individuals, donated, put up for auction, and then displayed for the public.  I volunteer as a hostess to provide information about the trees and to keep them safe.  After my shift I always like to wander around and look at the various trees.  Here are some of my favorites.

The Hogwarts tree was my favorite.

The Festival of Trees continues at the Mountain America Expo Center through December 1.  Go here for more information.

My Boyfriend's Back

For several years I had a Utah Jazz weekend package with my friend Dana.  I didn't really care all that much about basketball.  The games were just a fun night out and an excuse to go out to dinner.  At the end of December 2007 Dana mentioned that a player who was really good at shooting three-pointers had just been traded to the Jazz and she was really excited about it.  I barely paid attention.  On New Year's Eve I was at a sports bar with some friends and I just happened to look up at the Jazz game on the big screen when Kyle Korver was shooting a free throw.  I was immediately smitten and asked who he was.  My friends mentioned that he had just been traded to the Jazz and I suddenly remembered what Dana had said.  For the rest of the season I went to every game that I could possibly go to.  I started watching the away games on TV.  I got a number 26 jersey before they even had them available because I had one customized.  I was obsessed!  The next year I got season tickets with my aunt and cousin and even started going to Jazz events.  I donated a coat to a drive sponsored by Korver just so I could meet him and I hyperventilated!  I was so obsessed with him that I spent most of every game looking at him with my binoculars.  I had so much fun going to games while he played for the Jazz but after two seasons he signed with the Chicago Bulls.  I gave up my season tickets and became a casual Jazz fan again because it just wasn't the same any more.

Yesterday I woke up really early and couldn't go back to sleep so I checked social media.  I found out that Korver had been traded back to the Jazz!  This news was so exciting to me and it brought back all of the fun memories.  I immediately bought a ticket to the next Jazz home game, which is next week, and I am literally giddy with the thought of seeing him play again!  I am now searching for my Korver jersey!

Green Book

The movie Green Book is one that I have been anticipating for quite awhile and I had the opportunity to see it last night.  Dr. Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali) is a celebrated black pianist embarking on a concert tour in 1962.  Tony Vallelonga (Viggo Mortensen), a bouncer at the Copacabana who is out of work while the nightclub is renovated, is hired by Shirley's record company to be his chauffeur/bodyguard and help him navigate his way through the segregated south (with the help of the titular Green Book which lists the hotels and restaurants that blacks are allowed to frequent).  Don is refined and elegant while Tony is brash and crude and their interactions are fraught with tension at the beginning of their journey (and provide quite a bit of comedy).  As time goes by Don begins to soften some of Tony's rough edges, particularly in his letter writing endeavors, and Tony helps Don lighten up and enjoy himself, especially in a scene where Don plays the piano in a colored bar.  Both of them have inner demons, not to mention stereotypes about each other, but as they get to know each other they form an unlikely friendship which ultimately lasts for the rest of their lives (it is based on a true story).  This movie is a bit formulaic but it works on the strength of the lead performances.  Ali and Mortensen have great chemistry as their characters banter back and forth and it is a joy to watch them interact.  I also really enjoyed the message of overcoming prejudices by getting to know someone who is different.  However, there is one scene that is incredibly jarring about an issue that is not referenced again which I feel detracts a bit from the narrative.  Otherwise it is a feel-good movie that I really enjoyed and would highly recommend.

A Snowy Avalanche Trip

I have been watching hockey with my Dad for as long as I can remember and we are huge fans of the Colorado Avalanche.  We try to see at least one, sometimes two, games in Denver every season and last year we went over Thanksgiving weekend.  Since the weather was nice and the roads were clear then we decided to go once again over Thanksgiving break.  However, this year a huge winter storm decided to hit the mountain states!  It was snowing really hard when we started driving Saturday morning and it took us over two hours to get to Evanston.  Then I-80 was closed when we got there due to heavy winter conditions.  We had to sit there for over two hours before they opened the road again which was a lot of fun.  I usually drive from Little America to Cheyenne but the conditions were so bad that my Dad ended up driving the whole way to Denver which was a good thing because I don't like driving in the snow.  One section was so bad, it was foggy and the snow was blowing on the road, that I thought we wouldn't make it!  We finally made it to our hotel and I had just enough time to change into my jersey before we had to head to the Pepsi Center.  The Avalanche played the Dallas Stars, who are a division rival, and it was an awesome game.  Nathan MacKinnon scored the first goal for the Avalanche in the second period with assists by Gabriel Landeskog and Mikka Rantanen.  These three players are not only the Avalanche top line but they lead the NHL in points and they are so much fun to watch (my favorite player is Rantanen).  Then the Stars scored two goals with less than five minutes left in the third period and it kind of deflated the atmosphere in the Pepsi Center.  Quite a few people even left but you should never leave a game until its over, especially an Avalanche game.  J.T. Compher got a goal with an amazing wrist shot and less than a minute later Rantanen got a beautiful goal!  The energy was incredible!  The Stars pulled their goalie but it wasn't enough and the Avalanche ended up winning 3-2.  This game was so much fun it made all of the hassle of getting there worth it!  We drove home yesterday and the driving conditions were a little better but there were a few sketchy spots.  Even with all of the snow I'm so glad that my Dad and I were able to go on this road trip because we always have so much fun!

Note:  My Dad consented to listen to my Queen playlist on the drive and I think I’ve turned him into a fan!  He loves the song “Radio Ga Ga.”

Christmas is Coming!

I always like to put up my Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving.  I don't like to do it before because I like to keep Thanksgiving somewhat separate from Christmas but I like to have my tree up as long as possible.  As soon as Thanksgiving is over it is go time.  I love Christmas time so much (it is the only holiday that this minimalist decorates for).

I enjoy decorating my Christmas tree because all of my ornaments have a special meaning.  Some of them were given to me, some of them are souvenirs from my trips around the world, and some of them commemorate something from a specific year.

This is my ornament for this year.  I thought it was appropriate after seeing Hamilton five times in 2018!

I have a lot of really fun activities in December that I am looking forward to but, honestly, one of my favorite things to do is stay home and watch Christmas movies with just the illumination from the tree.

I love this time of year!